Isak and Even: Lost in Verona
by Frazzuccino
Summary: Isak and Even were meant to be together forever. However life as a young adult is rarely that simple when faced with the trials and tribulations at Hartvig Nissen.
1. Man of my dreams

Onsdag

16.45

"I think you overdid it on the cardamom again," Isak teased Even through a mouthful of their latest cooking creation.

"I overdid it?" replied Even incredulously. "You were the one who said that cardamom was 'the king of spices' and that I hadn't originally put enough in!"

"Sssh" Isak hushed him as he leant in and kissed him passionately on the lips. They'd been living together for over a month now but he still hadn't got over the excitement of coming home after school to see Even Beck Næsheim, the man of his dreams waiting for him inside. It had been a no-brainer when Even had asked him to move in with him when Sonja left as it had become rather cramped in the Kollektiv since Noora had moved back it.

Isak took another bite out of his slice of cheese with toast as he could feel his hunger pangs roaming around his stomach. It had been several hours since he'd last eaten at lunch and the food served in the canteen at Nissen leaved much to be desired.

"How was Biology?" Even asked him.

"Yeah Biology was… Biology. Got my essay back that I handed in last week and got a 5."

"Congrats! Erm.." he paused, trying to remember the conversation that they had had the previous week in which Isak had asked for his help as he was labouring hopelessly over the essay. Admitting defeat, he asked "What was it on again?"

"Respiration system," Isak answered as he stood up and placed his now empty plate in the dishwasher before rejoining Even on the couch.

"Ah so you know how to breathe. That is very good news indeed." said Even as he proceeded to give Isak another kiss before resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "It's a shame that I'm a year ahead of you and that we can't be in the same classes."

"You'd be fed up of me if we spent all day at school together and then had to spend all evening with me as well."

"I could never be fed up of you," Even said fondly while his fingers twirled intimately through Isak's blonde curls. "Even if I was by your side for every single second of the rest of my life, nothing you could do would want me to be anywhere else."

"Gay," Isak responded sarcastically, though he was deeply moved as always by the sweeping declarations of love that his boyfriend gave him. Despite all the troubles and lows that they'd had in their relationship, he wouldn't change any of it for the world.

"I'm only gay for you Isak Valtersen."

"Haha that's totally not true. If you had choice between me and Leonardo DiCaprio then I'd be looking for a new boyfriend!"

"Nah he's a bit old for me," Even replied. "He must be at least double my age."

"What about how he was when he was in Romeo and Juliet?"

"Oh fuck yeah, you'd definitely be looking for a new boyfriend. That is if you don't want to become a ménage à trois?"

"I think I'll pass. Having one boyfriend is enough trouble."

"I never cause any trouble or drama," said Even. "I'm the perfect boyfriend or should I say 'the man of your dreams'".

"Fuck off," Isak retorted before placing a soft kiss on the top of Even's forehead. "You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Never."

Even readjusted his body position so that his head now rested snugly on Isak's lap and he could stare up into his glistening green eyes. They were the feature that he loved most about him: how they revealed his innermost thoughts and allowed him to read his mind like an open book. He would spend all day gazing into them if he was given the choice.

"I ran into Vilde today," Isak told Even, breaking the silence that had formed between them.

"Oh yeah?"

"She was going on about the plans for Friday night and how we have to go seeing as we weren't there last week. According to her, Noora has 'volunteered' to host so there's 'no reason' why we can't be there. It will be bit strange going to the flat again as I haven't been back since I moved out. You up for going?"

"I suppose so," Even said reluctantly. "Who else is going?"

"Just the usual squad," Isak replied. "Will you be able to buy us beer on the way?

"If you insist, as long as you give me the cash before. Is it just you that I'm buying for or is it for Jonas and the rest as well?

"Erm.. the rest as well. At least this time next month I'll be able to buy it for myself!"

"You'll be so old!"

"Not as old as you!" said Isak as he lowered his head and kissed Even once more. Even was over a couple of years older than him and Isak knew that he was very proud of the fact that he liked to be the older and more _mature_ one in the relationship. Though he couldn't deny that having an older boyfriend had its uses. Especially when it came to buying alcohol. He could always have asked Chris to buy some for him using one of her contacts but after an incident in which Jonas ended up with a bottle full of piss instead, he wasn't keen on trusting her.

"I should probably go and revise for that stupid maths test I have tomorrow," said Isak as he gently lifted Even's head up off of his lap. "Otherwise I'm going to do shit as I know fuck all."

"You're going to leave me all alone," Even said aghast.

"Well one of us needs to have a proper job when we leave this place and I don't think it's going to be you!"

"When did you become so serious about school?"

"I'm not being serious about school," said Isak indignantly. "I just don't want to leave with shit grades."

"Nerd," Even teased him. "At least have one game of _FIFA_ with me before you go and ignore me for the rest of the evening."

"You're on!" said Isak as he embraced him and pressed his lips against Even's, finally releasing the desire that had plagued him all day at school. This was what helped him through the tedious school days. Coming home to the man of his dreams.


	2. Caught in a landslide

Fredag

21.30

"You nearly ready?" asked Isak as Even dashed around the bedroom frantically looking for his wallet and keys. The mess of clothes that had slowly devoured the floor over the course of the school week did not aid his cause.

"Almost," he replied before finally finding what he was looking for hidden beneath their duvet. "Cool that's me ready now."

Even grabbed his hoodie off of the seat at the kitchen table and made his way over to Isak who was waiting patiently at the door. He gave him a quick peck on the lips before following him out of the flat and locking it securely behind him. They lived on the third floor of their building which always made climbing the stairs an interesting challenge when they'd spent the entire night drinking and smoking. However, they had no such problem on the way down and avoided an awkward encounter with their neighbours who hadn't entirely forgiven them about the last party that they had hosted.

The dimming sun shone brightly as they went outside and the humid air that had been present for most of the day was beginning to subside. Isak raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as they set off down the road.

"You do know that you can turn your hat around?" teased Even.

"And ruin my look?" said Isak.

"What look?"

"You were always the one who said that I looked hot like this!" protested Isak.

"You always look hot!" said Even before leaning in and giving him a delicate kiss on the cheek. It had taken a long time for Isak to become comfortable with the public displays of affection that Even loved to provide him with. He still looked around the street afterwards however, just to make sure no one had noticed and had been offended by it.

A couple of minutes later, they reached the usual corner shop where they purchased their weekly alcohol from. It was a small, dimly lit store which boasted an entire wall dedicated to booze. Although it was a modern building, the décor inside was well past its prime and gave it a slightly dubious appearance.

"Where's the rest of the boys?" asked Even. "I thought that we were supposed to be meeting here ten minutes ago?"

Isak pulled out his gold iPhone to check to see if he had received any texts from Jonas since they'd left the flat. He had.

 _Just leaving now with Mahdi. Magnus bailed on us to hook up with Vilde before the party tonight, the lucky bastard. See you in 5._ _ **Received 8 mins ago**_

"Jonas said that they're on the way," Isak told Even. "Though you'll only be buying alcohol for four of us as Magnus is going with Vilde."

"Does he ever spend time with you guys anymore or is his sole purpose in life to spend every living minute hooking up with Vilde?"

"They probably say the same about me!"

"Yeah but that's different cause it's me that you're hooking up with," responded Even followed by a kiss to emphasise his point. "Plus I hang out with all of you a lot compared to Vilde who I only ever see at parties and the fuckton of different group meetings that she organises."

Isak's gaze extended beyond Even's shoulder as he could see Jonas and Mahdi strolling down the street towards them. Jonas's brown curls were distinctive from a distance away and his bushy eyebrows completed his hipster style look which had once attracted Isak to him. Although he had been dating Even for over half a year now and Jonas was 100% straight as far as he was aware, the romantic thoughts that had tormented him about his best friend had never fully disappeared.

"Sup?" said Isak while he did the usual introductory hand slaps that over time had come to be the normal greeting.

"Nothing much," Jonas replied.

"Just the usual Friday night," said Mahdi. "Glorious sunshine, a wild Friday night party involving lots of hooking up and not going home alone."

"Haha you wish," laughed Jonas. "When was the last time that you even hooked up with someone at a party, let alone go home with them?"

"Just cause you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen!" replied Mahdi before quickly changing the direction of the conversation. "Hey Even."

"Hello," said Even who was still not overly familiar with Isak's best friends. "I should probably buy the booze now otherwise the party will be over by the time that we get there. What are you guys wanting to drink? "

"Err just the usual beer for me," said Jonas while digging his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it up and handed over 60 Krone to Even. "Can you buy me four cans as we've already drank a couple that we had left over from last week?"

"Sure," said Even with a smile.

"Yeah same for me as well," said Mahdi before placing more cash into Even's outstretched hand.

"Cool, I'll be back in a minute," said Even as he turned his back and disappeared swiftly into the shop.

"So what's up with Magnus?" asked Isak. "I thought that he said he was meant to be going to yours for pre-drinks before the party?"

"I got a text from him after school ended to say that he couldn't make it and that he had to go and see Vilde," replied Jonas. "He can't seem to keep his hands off her for two minutes since they started dating."

"Yeah who knew that acting desperate could actually land you a hot chick?" sighed Mahdi as he shook his head. "Maybe I should try that tactic?"

"Well you can't get any worse!" said Isak as Even emerged from the shop, struggling under the weight of the booze that they were going to consume that night. Isak quickly went over and took several cans of beer out of the bag which was threatening to break. Even handed four cans each to Jonas and Mahdi along with their change before placing his wallet back in his pocket.

"Let's go," said Even as he led the way down the street with Isak at his side and the beer cans clinking in their bag. Noora's flat, the Kollektiv whose name was chosen by Eskild was only a short walk away from the shop.

The sun was now dipping rapidly towards the horizon, casting long shadows on the pavement as they approached the flat. They could hear the music blaring from outside which was intermittently drowned out by shouting from within. Isak went up to the door and pressed the buzzer, hoping that it would be noticed in the cornucopia of sound that it was competing with. However, it wasn't long before the front door violently swung open and an angry Vilde barged past them down into the street.

"Vilde!" shouted a red-faced Magnus who had suddenly appeared at the bottom of the staircase and was very intent on catching up with his girlfriend. It was clear that he had had a bit too much to drink and was grateful when Mahdi caught him as he stumbled on the front door step.

"Woah… take it easy," said Mahdi, trying desperately not to be flattened as Magnus showed no sign of intention of breaking off his pursuit. "What happened?"

"I was... I was… We were fighting…" slurred Magnus, struggling to form a cohesive sentence. "She said I hadn't paid her enough… intention since we got here. Then she just… she just stormed off! Shit!"

"There's no point going after her when you're in this state man," said Mahdi, slightly relieved that Magnus had stopped struggling to get out of his grip. "You've just had a bit much to drink." Mahdi turned towards Isak, Even and Jonas and said "You guys go on up, I've got this."

Jonas nodded his head and they all started to climb the stairs, slightly relieved that they didn't have to spend their evening looking after Magnus. The door on the second landing was wide open and the entrance corridor into the flat was tightly packed with people. In the melee, Isak and Even lost sight of Jonas who had gone over to say hi to one of his friends from class. As Isak entered the kitchen area, he observed that the walls had received a fresh coating of paint which he had no doubt been applied by the hands of Noora. Otherwise, the flat was unchanged since he had moved out and a wave of nostalgia of the good times that he had here washed over him.

"ISAK! YOU'RE HERE" screamed Eva who had been standing at the other side of the room socialising before rushing over when she saw her friend and threw herself at him.

"Hey Eva," replied Isak as he stumbled backwards due to the force that she had flung herself at him. "How's things?"

"Good," she said, struggling to make herself heard over the sound of the music. "EVEN! You're Isak's boyfriend!"

"I am indeed," said Even, trying not to laugh at the enthusiasm that she always seemed to have for their relationship every time she saw the two of them together.

Eva turned back towards Isak before declaring, "I've missed you! We should hang out for coffee or a kebab or something soon."

"Yeah," agreed Isak who had also been missing the closeness that had once existed between them (despite fucking it up by delivering the death blow to her relationship with Jonas then falsely admitting to having feelings for her). "Send me a text when you're free."

"EVA!" shouted the short, slender girl that Eva had previously been talking to who was wearing a very revealing flowery dress. Isak was sure that he had never seen her before; one of the few people in the room who he did not recognise. One of the figures he did recognise however was Sana, who was surveying the room from the vantage point of her corner seat with pursed lips. When their eyes met, her lips broke out into a smile as her biology lab partner was one of the few people that she generally got on well with. Isak grabbed Even by the waist and pulled him over to side of the room where he could greet her.

"Isak," said Sana as more of a matter of fact than as an introduction. "Even."

"Hey Sana," said Isak. "You look like you're having fun."

"Oh so much fun!" replied Sana sarcastically. "I've just spent the last couple of hours watching Vilde and Magnus go from between hooking up to fighting every few minutes."

"Yeah we saw Vilde storm off when we came in," said Even. "Apparently, she thought that he wasn't paying him enough attention."

"That's Vilde for you," said Sana while her face screwed up in displeasure when a shriek went up though the flat as Bohemian Rhapsody came on over the speakers. "She kept on saying that he was staring at the new girl that Eva brought and not at her. I don't know why she's so worried about Magnus cheating on her, considering that she's probably the only one who could have got over his desperation."

An awkward silence followed that comment which was interrupted by Eskild's attempt to sing both the high and low parts of the song by himself. He drastically failed to reach the high note and left Sana with her fingers in her ears.

"I'm going to go take a whizz," said Even to Isak, partially wanting to escape the 'singing' before he got permanent hearing damage. As soon as he had disappeared, a drunk Eskild took his place beside Isak and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey my long-lost flatmate, missing living here already?"

"I'm definitely not missing your singing!" laughed Isak. "You may have a lot in common with Freddie Mercury, but your singing ability is definitely not one of those things."

Sana stood up and flashed a smile at Isak before walking away. She had spent enough time with drunk Eskild that evening and didn't want to prolong the suffering that was sure to come between them.

"So you have missed some things about here then," said Eskild as though he was the world's greatest detective. "I bet you it's me!"

"Maybe a little bit," replied Isak while opening one of the cans of beer in his hands and taking a long sip from it.

"Aha I knew!" said Eskild, and in a single motion pressed his lips against Isak's. Isak stood still, frozen in shock. It took a while for his brain to process what was happening and when it finally went through the gears, he gave Eskild a little push away to break off the kiss. It was too late however, as Even had just entered the room and witnessed the entire thing. His face painted a portrait of astonishment and disappointment that was clear for Isak to see.

Seeing the look on Isak's face, Eskild turned around to observe Even standing there staring at him before turning back to face Isak. Realisation of what he had just done dawned on Eskild's face.

It felt like time was standing still for Isak but the spell was soon broken as Even dropped the can of beer that he was holding and made his way out of the apartment.

"Even!" shouted Isak as he pushed Eskild aside to go after his boyfriend. The same words kept on repeating over and over again in his head.

 _Shit! Shit! Shit!_


End file.
